Eat Like You Care – How Your Diet Affects More Than Just You

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame,
in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” ~Thomas A. Edison

The One Health initiative is a global conversation tackling one of the most important subjects of all–the undeniable thread which ties humans, animals and our planet together.

A worldwide integrative effort, One Health encourages collaboration between physicians, veterinarians, nurses, biomedical scientists and environmentally related disciplines to recognize the interdependency of all species and to promote optimal health for all.

In our first article in the One Health series, I explained the history and goals of the One Health initiative in detail, stressing the importance of including diet in the dialogue.

Today, in the second installment of the series, I’d like to spend a bit more time explaining why I believe the inclusion of diet to One Health is so important.

The Stunning Stats

Looking at the statistics, you will see that shifting to a whole food plant-based diet would:

Reduce risk of heart disease. Most whole, plant-based foods contain little or no saturated fats, and those who eat a plant-based diet enjoy lower levels of total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol—key culprits behind cardiovascular disease.

Reduce cancer risk. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains reduces cancer risk while the consumption of red meat and dairy is directly linked to colon, breast, and prostate cancer.

Lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Studies show that plant-based diets can lower your risk of developing this (and other) debilitating metabolic diseases — by as much as 75%! Furthermore, diabetics who switch to a plant-based diet often can greatly reduce or even eliminate their dependence on medications.

Put the brakes on obesity. Plant-based eaters have lower body weight than their meat-eating counterparts. But that’s not all. Because whole plant foods are high in fiber and micronutrients (and low in calorie density), they have a high satiety profile, and you feel fuller on fewer calories.

Increase longevity. Due to the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes, it is only logical that those who follow a plant-based diet have lower mortality rates.

Slash healthcare costs. The US alone spends trillions on treating mostly preventable diseases. By eating a plant-based diet, you decrease your risk of developing one of these conditions and help reduce healthcare costs across the country.

How Dietary Choices Affect the Planet

Shifting to a plant-based diet won’t just affect humans and their health–it will have a huge impact on the planet as well.

A transition to plant-based diets will:

Create a smaller carbon footprint. According to the United Nations, nearly 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are currently accelerating climate change are generated by the meat and dairy industries.

Save water. Did you know that 1,800 – 2,500 gallons of water are required to produce only one pound of beef for food? On the other hand, you only need 108 gallons of water to produce a pound of corn or 138 gallons to produce a pound of wheat.

Reduce fossil fuel dependency. It takes about 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of a plant-based protein. By contrast, you need about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy for every single calorie of feedlot beef produced in the US.

Water, Water…Not Enough to Drink

Water might very well be the perfect example of how we need to think long and hard about how our food choices affect both people and the planet.

Today, close to 900 million people don’t have access to clean water.

Meanwhile, commercial meat production uses about 235 trillion gallons of water each year.

In California, where droughts are all too common and often devastating, you hear a lot about water usage.

Every day. Everywhere you go. Everyone is talking about water.

But here’s what is missing from our water discussion:

Private homes account for 4% of overall water usage in the state, so private conservation can have very little — if any — effect.

Nearly a million acres of land are devoted to growing alfalfa for hay, 95% of which is used to feed cows. Irrigating these crops costs the state 1.8 trillion gallons of fresh water every year. In fact, if California stopped growing alfalfa for feed for just one year, there would be enough water to sustain the human population of San Francisco for 66 years.

Almonds, a crop directly in the crosshairs of the water debate, are not the culprit. In fact, the Pacific Institute says that 47% of the state’s water footprint is “associated with meat and dairy” production.

The numbers don’t lie. The average American eats 144 hamburgers, 245 eggs and 736 almonds per year. It takes nearly 103,000 gallons of water to make their hamburgers, about 13,000 to produce those eggs and only 736 gallons to grow the almonds.

Replacing 50 percent of animal products with whole plant foods in someone’s diet equals to a 30 percent reduction in that person’s food-related water footprint. Switching from a meat-based to a vegetarian diet reduces that water footprint by 60% while adopting a plant-based (vegan) diet cuts an individual’s water footprint by 90%.

When it comes to water, real change will only happen when we tackle our own dietary choices; we won’t make a dent on the problem simply by taking shorter showers or planting drought-tolerant plants in our garden.

Our Diet–How It Affects Animals

Finally, let’s turn to the subject of diet and how it is linked to animal’s health and well-being.

We humans have set a double standard.

One for animals that ‘taste good’.

And one for animals that make us ‘feel good’ — our pets.

This is a highly controversial subject because many of us feel internally conflicted when it comes to eating meat. On the one hand, we feel terrible about the thought of harming animals for our own enjoyment. On the other hand, we nevertheless like the taste and flavors associated with meat and can’t imagine living without it.

To resolve this paradox, we justify it, arguing that eating meat is acceptable because it is:

Necessary

Nice

Normal

Natural

The first argument (i.e. necessity) is based on the idea that eating meat is necessary for health–without meat, it is impossible to get the appropriate amount of protein, vitamins or minerals. In many articles on this blog, including the one on essential amino acids and protein, we have demonstrated that this argument is untrue—meat is simply not necessary for a healthful, vibrant lifestyle.

The second ‘N’ (‘nice’) boils down to one fact only—we eat animals because they taste good. Meat—for millions—is delicious. But just because something tastes good does not mean that it is actually good for you.

That leaves us with the ‘natural and normal’ arguments, i.e. that it’s ‘natural’ for humans to eat meat and thus ‘normal’ to include it in our daily diet.

In terms of which animals we eat, however, ‘natural’ and ‘normal’ are all relative. For example, in the US, we would not dream of eating dogs while in parts of Asia this would be considered normal. Equally, while eating pigs is ‘natural and normal’ for millions, it is considered an absolute faux pas for millions of others for religious reasons. In Europe, it is ‘normal and natural’ to eat horse meat while this would be considered abhorrent in the US. And so on.

In summary, using the above 4 N arguments help us cope with our internal conflicts about eating meat. We’ve drawn a moral line to make us feel better about eating animals, but that doesn’t make the line real.

All animals deserve to be shown the same kind of empathy and respect and care we show the animals we revere—whether they are our family pets or a sacred animal symbol.

It is absolutely possible (and really not that difficult) to learn to love foods that don’t harm animals. Understanding the flaws in the ‘4 N’ arguments is the first step in that direction.

It’s time to erase the line in our minds and start eating the foods that are good for us, good for the planet and ensure a better life for ALL animals.

Food Choices — It’s YOUR Responsibility

I’d like however to close with one thought…

As much as the topic of diet should be included in the One Health initiative, I would like to stress the fact that food options always remain an individual choice.

Our health–our diet–depends on us and the choices me make–not just on doctors, nurses, or registered dietitians.

At the end of the day, each and every one of us needs to participate wholly in our own healthcare.

As we have shown, diet is the one lifestyle habit that dramatically supports the health and well-being of humans, animals and the planet itself.

And while having diet included in the One Health initiative would be an excellent positive step forward… let’s remember that what we eat is ultimately our own choice as well as a personal responsibility.

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Rosane Oliveira, DVM, PhD

Rosane Oliveira, DVM, PhD is Founding Director of UC Davis Integrative Medicine and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health Sciences at the School of Medicine at the University of California Davis. Blending a life-long passion for food and nutrition with over 20 years of scientific experience in genetic research, Dr. Oliveira is devoted to educating people about how food and lifestyle choices can affect genetic expression–i.e. how genes are turned on and off and either cause disease or promote health. She is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has lived in the US since 2003.